Texans shuffle assistants

Pendry becomes offensive line coach; Palmer drops QB job

Published 6:30 am, Tuesday, January 20, 2004

The Texans added their first free agent of the offseason, and it wasn't on the defensive side of the ball, where the team will expend most of its energy between now and the start of training camp.

In fact, it wasn't even a player.

The team hired longtime NFL assistant Joe Pendry to coach the offensive line in a move that set off a series of responsibility changes on the staff. Pendry, coach Dom Capers' offensive coordinator for four years in Carolina, replaces Tony Marciano, who will oversee the tight ends.

Marciano coached tight ends in Indianapolis prior to joining the Texans before the 2002 season. Greg Roman, who was the tight ends coach for the Texans' first two seasons, will be the team's quarterback coach, freeing offensive coordinator Chris Palmer to be involved with more aspects of the offense and spend more time on game plans. Palmer will continue to handle play-calling.

"We just wanted to strengthen the staff as much as we could to move forward," said Capers, who is attending Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala. "Joe has been in the league a lot of years, and he's coached a lot of different positions. He's been with Marty Schottenheimer and Wade Phillips, and he brings a wealth of experience."

Capers stressed that none of the moves should be viewed as a demotion, rather a way to improve the overall strength of the staff just as the team tries to do with player acquisitions.

"Every year, you step back and evaluate," Capers said. "From the beginning, our plan was to have a quarterback coach. With a young quarterback, we felt that if we waited until we got through a couple of years, that would be the best way to do it so that Chris could be hands-on with David (Carr).

"Chris and Greg have worked very closely, and they will continue to work closely. It's just that now Chris will have more time to spend on other things. There's only so much time in your day."

Marciano, who never had been an offensive line coach in the NFL before taking that post with the Texans, endured a difficult first season when Carr was sacked a record 76 times and the offensive line was a constant source of ridicule.

In fairness, Marciano's unit was riddled by injuries -- most notably to five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tony Boselli, who never played a game for the Texans -- and he was forced to play a group of mostly rookies and career backups. With better and more experienced players, the sack total was cut to 36 in 2003.

"That's certainly not the reason we're doing this," Capers said of the line's first-year struggles. "This year, our offensive line improved as much as any area. We're doing this to strengthen the overall staff. We have the same staff in place, and we've added a coach who has 17 years of experience."

While coaching tight ends will be nothing new for Marciano, Roman will have to adjust to his new assignment. Roman never has coached quarterbacks, and his top student just happens to be the cornerstone of the organization. Capers, who first hired Roman with the Panthers in 1995, believes the transition will be smooth.

"Greg is a bright young guy," Capers said. "He's been around a long time, he's a good teacher, and he's organized. He'll do a good job."

Pendry coached receivers and tight ends at Southwest Missouri State last season. In a professional coaching career that began with the USFL's Philadelphia Stars in 1982, Pendry has coached every position on the offensive side of the ball, and he was head coach of the USFL's Pittsburgh Maulers in 1984.

With the Texans, Pendry will work mainly with centers and guards, and assistant offensive line coach Steve Marshall will continue to focus on the tackles.